What a Man Wants
by Lady Jaye1
Summary: Clark questions his relationship with Lois after his encounter with Mongul and the Black Mercy.


_Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely related to DC. It would be fun though._

_This story takes place after the episode, "For the Man Who Has Everything."_

**What a Man Wants**

"Whoa…Earth to Clark!" A red haired young man waved a hand in front of Clark's face. The Kryptonian gave a start and nearly knocked over his coffee.

"Huh?"

Jimmy Olsen shook his head. He'd admit to not being the most perceptive person in the world, but he viewed the older man as something akin to a big brother. Something was bothering him.

"Perry wants you in the office," the younger man said. He gave a pause before continuing. "Is something wrong Clark? You've been spacing out all day."

Clark's eyes unconsciously darted to look at Lois, but it was too quick for Jimmy to catch.

"I…I've just got some things on my mind right now Jimmy," he answered. The red head shrugged, but he didn't seem to buy it. He didn't have time to press it though, as Perry White wasn't the most patient of men.

Clark Kent straightened a pile of papers and took a sip of coffee before he ventured over to Perry's office. He knocked twice on the door before walking in. The man in question was standing behind his desk, waiting somewhat impatiently.

"You wanted to see me, Perry?"

Perry looked up him and Clark caught a satisfied gleam in his eyes. He gave his boss a questioning look.

"I wanted you to be the first one to hear this, Clark," Perry said. His face beamed proudly as he handed a piece of paper to one of his two star reporters. The Kryptonian looked at it and gave a sharp intake of breath.

"A…a Pulitzer? Me?" Clark's voice stammered slightly. It wasn't even an act.

"I nominated you after that brilliant article on Intergang," Perry replied. "They haven't announced the winners yet, but I wanted you to have a head's up."

"Why not Lois?" Clark asked. The wrinkles around the older man's eyes crinkled as he gave a wry smile.

"I nominated her too, but she wasn't chosen. You were."

Clark stared down at the paper in his hands. At the moment, all of his accomplishments as Superman paled in comparison. He'd won a Pulitzer! A Pulitzer!

Lois was going to be as jealous as hell.

"You're too modest," Perry said. He placed a friendly hand on to Clark's shoulder. "It's time you got some recognition. You're a brilliant journalist."

"I…thank you Perry."

Clark left the office with a smile, his current worries temporarily forgotten.

……………………..

"You won a Pulitzer? It's about time."

Bruce Wayne had never been one for mincing words. Still, Clark was happy to see the pleased look that floated briefly across his friend's normally stoic face. He looked down at his root beer float and felt his smile slip slightly.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked. The two men were currently lounging down on the front porch of Wayne Mansion. It was a beautiful day. For once, Clark was getting Bruce to take a brief break and enjoy it.

"The Black Mercy."

It had been nearly a week since Mongul had attacked him with it.

"You were forced to give up your deepest desires; that wasn't easy," Bruce answered. He understood. After all, he'd had to watch his parents die _again_.

"That's the thing," Clark finally admitted. "In that illusion, the woman I was married to wasn't Lois. She looked like Lana, but sounded like Lois. If the Black Mercy was supposed to show my deepest desires, then why was she a mix of both of them?"

Bruce was silent as he considered Clark's words. He closed his eyes and briefly relished the warm sun on his face. While he wouldn't admit it, he was glad that the Kryptonian had dragged him outside.

"Maybe your subconscious knows something that the rest of you doesn't," Bruce finally answered.

"But I love Lois," Clark protested.

"What about Lana?"

"I…I don't know."

Clark seemed troubled by that admission. Bruce didn't say anything. His friend needed to sort out his own feelings.

"Why haven't you told Lois yet that Clark Kent and Superman are the same person?" Bruce finally ventured to ask.

"You never told her the truth about you, and the two of you were dating," Clark pointed out. Ouch. He did have a point though.

"Just because I'm Batman doesn't mean I'm an expert when it comes to women," Bruce muttered. Hanging out with the floozy of the week to keep up his playboy image didn't necessarily translate into being a female expert.

Birds twittered merrily nearby. A soft breeze rustled the hair of both men.

"I…Lois rejected you because of Batman," Clark finally said. "What if she rejects me because of Clark? She's only showed interest in Kal-El."

"If you're questioning your relationship with Lois, maybe this means that you should take a break from it. Sometimes the only way to look at something clearly is to get away from it," Bruce advised. Okay, so he wasn't an expert on women or relationships, but he at least knew something about problem solving.

Clark was silent for a long time.

"Your root beer's not going to drink itself," Bruce pointed out, his voice tinted with rare humor. "You don't want to disappoint Alfred, do you?" Clark's lips twitched at that.

Bruce Wayne shook his head. It was times like this that Clark made him feel more like a big brother than a friend.

"When was the last time you talked to Lana?" he asked. An embarrassed look crossed the other man's face.

"It's been awhile," Clark admitted. "I haven't talked to her for a few months." He felt ashamed at that. Lana had not only been his high school girlfriend, but she had remained one of his strongest friends.

"Call her."

"I will," Clark promised. Bruce's eyes narrowed as he gave him one of his infamous "looks"

"What, _now_!?" Clark asked. A pair of blue eyes continued to pierce into his own. After a stubborn moment, the Kryptonian finally gave in. Muttering words under his breath, words that an amused Bruce pretended not to hear, Clark searched through his contact list until he found Lana's number.

"I'm waiting Kent," Bruce said.

"I'm calling her, _jeez_!"

As Clark waited for the woman in question to answer, Bruce watched the clouds. His friend had once admonished him that there were no sunsets in the batcave. Bruce had been on some tirade about how crime never took break. It had been in response to Clark telling him to take a vacation.

Crime never took break. However, as much as Bruce was loath to admit it, he needed one.

Even if all he did was watch the clouds for a few minutes.

"Lana? It's Clark."

Bruce's ears listened intently. Batman had resigned himself to a life of loneliness if it meant that others could find happiness. His own future might be in question, but Bruce would do all that he could to ensure Clark's.

As a friend, and sometimes brother, he owed Kent that. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was him. Clark had the biggest heart of anyone that Bruce had ever met.

"I haven't talked to you for a while. I was wondering if we could catch up?" Clark asked.

"_That would be great. I'm in Milan right now for a fashion show, but I'm free tomorrow."_

"Milan? Good for you," Clark said. After a moment, he blurted out. "I got a Pulitzer Lana!"

"_Clark! That's wonderful!"_

The two friends talked for nearly fifteen minutes. Clark's face warmed at Lana's praise. She seemed even more excited about the Pulitzer than him. He had only been intending to ask her out for coffee, however…

"Lana, you want to meet for lunch tomorrow?" he asked. There was a pause and he held his breath.

"_Milan time or Metropolis time,"_ Lana asked wryly.

"Either one."

"_I know a great pasta place here. I'll call you after the show."_

"Sounds great, see you then," Clark promised.

"_Bye Clark."_

"Bye Lana."

Clark closed his cell phone, just as he caught the smirk on Bruce's face.

"I saw that," Clark accused.

"Saw what?" Bruce asked innocently. Clark sighed.

"You're impossible."

"I'm Batman."

Clark smiled. The two men sat in friendly silence and listened to the world around them. After awhile, even Alfred came out to join them. A squirrel ran up a tree. Tree leaves rustled softly.

And above them, the sun shone brightly.

………………….

_Author update__: I'm currently working on the newest chapter of Original Prankster. It should be up within the next couple of days._

_Remarks on the story: Originally, I'd written as Clark's dream wife looking and sounding like Lana. After a few remarks though that she was actually a combination of Lana and Lois, something that I didn't catch, I went back and changed it. I don't think it changes the story too much though. The fact that she wasn't Lois in his dream, but rather a mix of her and Lana, shows that Clark still has some hidden feelings for her. Feelings he may not have been aware that he still had._


End file.
